Mordecai House
Also known as: Mordecai Historic Park
Why it's listed
Mordecai House in Raleigh began about 1785 as a simple hall-and-parlor frame dwelling built by Joel Lane for his son Henry. Seven years later Lane sold 1,000 acres nearby for the new capital city. The house takes its name from Moses Mordecai, who married two of Henry Lane's daughters in turn. Before his death in 1824 he hired architect William Nichols to enlarge it. Nichols added four rooms facing south in the Greek Revival style, making the house L-shaped and turning its orientation to the south. The south front has a two-story pedimented portico with Ionic columns above Doric. Inside, older mantels recall designs from William Salmon's Palladio Londinensis. The addition is noted as a surviving example of Nichols's work. Descendants of the Mordecai and Little families lived here until 1967. The Raleigh Historic Sites Commission then acquired the house with many original furnishings, plus the family papers and library, and began restoring the interior as a museum.
Significance in brief: The house was built about 1785 by Joel Lane for his son Henry, on land near where Lane sold 1,000 acres for the new capital city. The Greek Revival south addition is an extant example of work by architect William Nichols. The house is also tied to the Mordecai family, prominent in North Carolina law, education and business.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 70000474, listed July 1, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Mimosa St., Raleigh |
|---|---|
| County | Wake County |
| Listed | July 1, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000474 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Joel Lane (original house, c. 1785); William Nichols (Greek Revival addition) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival (south section); earlier hall-and-parlor frame dwelling with Federal-influenced mantels |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered but on its original site; owned by the Raleigh Historic Sites Commission, used as a museum, with interior restoration under way at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 3.9 |
| Within district | Mordecai Place Historic District |
| Coordinates | 35.79276, -78.63310 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 70000474.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6909611
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.